Rice-polishing machine.



PATENTED MAY 17, 1904.

R. W. WELGH.

RICE POLISHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 19, 1901. RENEWED NOV. 2. 1903.

N0 MODEL.

UNiTED STATES Patented May 1'7, 1904.

PATENT OrEIcE.

ROSIA W. l/VELOH, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO LEOPOLD S. BABURGER, TRUSTEE, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

RICE-POLISHING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 760,093, dated May 17, 1904.

Application filed July 19,1901. Renewed November 2,1903. Serial No- 179,639. (NZ) model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, RosIA W. WELcH, acitizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rice-Polishing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to rice-polishing machines; and its object is to provide an improved machine of this character which will quickly impart a high white gloss to the grains of rice by attrition.

The invention consists in certain constructions, arrangements, and combinations of the parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of the rice-polishing machine. Fig. Qis a horizontal sectional view thereof. Figs. 3 and 4 are diagrammatic views illustrating the different relative positions assumed by the sinuous polishing-surfaces of the rotary polishers and their inolosing concaves.

Referring to the drawings, the letter a designates the rectangular machine-framework,provided with upper and lower horizontal cross-beams b 0. A step-bearing d is secured in the bottom of said framework, and a cross-bar e is secured to'the upper end of the latter and is provided with a shaft-bearing e. A vertical shaft f passes through said upper and lower framework beams and is journaled in said two bearings 03 a, and said shaft is provided with a pulley g, intended to be connected by belt to some suitable source of power whereby to rotate said shaft. Rigidly secured on said rotary shaft f between the upper and lower cross-beams are a plurality of rotary rice-polishers A, located one directly above the other, as shown best in Fig. 1. The polishers A are in the form of short cylinders with either straight or convex peripheries and flat upper and lower faces, and the said cylinders alternate regularly in diameter. I preferably employ for the said cylinders a number of ordinary wood pulleys of two different sizes in diameter and arrange them alternately, as shown. The exposed exterior surfaces of the cylinders are covered with 5 wire-cloth or other suitable polishing material 9. On the peripheries of the cylinders are secured at regular intervals a plurality of blocks h, and the polishing material 9 is passed over said blocks and is secured directly to the periphery of the cylinders midway between every two blocks. In this manner the polishing material is arranged sinuous in a horizontal direction on the peripheries of the cylinders, as indicated in Fig. 2. On the respective upper and lower faces of the upper and lower cylinders the polishing material is laid substantially flat.

Resting on each of the upper and lower sets of cross-beams b 0 of the machine-framework 5 a are the upper and lower heads of the concaves, which inclose the rotary polishing-cylinders. Both the upper and lower heads are formed in three segmental sections fl n capable of being slid horizontally to a limited 7 extent on the framework cross-beams b 0, so that their adjacent edges may be moved closer together or farther apart, and each section is provided with two elongated slots 7', inwhich thumb-screws s, secured to said cross-beams, are inserted. After the sections of the concave-heads are slid into proper adjustment they are securely held by tightening the said thumb-screws.

Each of the concaves consists of a plurality 30 of vertical strips t, preferably of wood, and each of said strips extends from the upper to the corresponding lower head-section and is permanently secured thereto. The inner vertical edges of the said concave-strips tthat is, 5 those edges adjacent the surfaces of the polishing-cylindersare providedwith a plurality of recesseso and conform to and are spaced from the exposed fiat and sinuous surfaces of the polishing-cylinders, and to the said inner 9 recessed edge e of every two adjacent strips '6 is secured a sheet of woven-wire cloth w, or

other suitable polishing material, which sheets together form the inolosing or enveloping surface of the concaves. The strips 2, alternate in Widththat is, from their outer to their inner edges as indicated in Fig. 2, so that the enveloping pohshmg-surface1s sinuous, corresponding to the sinuous peripheral surfaces of the polishing-cylinders.

A hopper b is supported between the upper framework cross-beams 5, and a discharge spout 0 is secured at the bottom of the machine and is provided with a horizontallysliding gate d, as shown in Fig. 1.

In practical operation the gate d is entirely or partly shut, and the quantity of rice to be polished is fed into the hopper b and thence finds its way down into the space between the respective sinuous surfaces of the rotary polishers and the concaves. The shaft f is intended to be rotated at a comparatively high rate of speed, and as said shaft rotates the grains of rice rub repeatedly against each each other and are also rubbed by the wire surfaces of the cylinders and concaves. The slide (Zregulates the discharge of rice and keeps the machine sufiiciently gorged, and the rotation of the one sinuous surface within the other continually contracts the space at certain places, as indicated in Fig. 4, thereby giving the grains a hard rub at such contracted places. Of course the arrangement of sinuous surfaces is such that the space between them is never completely closed.

The concaves, which are rigidly attached to the head-sections j) p 12 may be adjusted toward or from the several rotary cylinders by sliding the head-sections toward or from each other, as hereinbefore described.

It is to be especially noted that the arrangement of the sinuous-surfaced concaves and the rotary polishers within the said concaves and one above the other causes the space or passage for the rice to be sinuous not only in a horizontal direction but also in a vertical direction from the top to the bottom of the machine. By reason of the flat upper surface of the larger cylinders projecting beyond the periphery of the smaller cylinders just above them and forming sharp or well-defined angles or shoulders with the periphery of the smaller cylinders, as indicated in Fig. 1, one polisher will practically sustain the weight of the amount of rice around the polisher just above it, whereas if the rice had a straight or undeviating passage from the top to the bottom of the machine the entire weight of the mounted in said framework; a plurality of cylinders mounted on said shaft and of two different diameters and arranged alternately; blocks, it, secured to the periphery of each cylinder; strips of rice-polishing material secured over said blocks and also secured directly to the peripheries of the cylinders between said blocks, and also secured to the upper face of the uppermost cylinder, to the lower face of the lowermost cylinder, and to the upper and lower projecting faces of the larger cylinders; and concaves secured in said framework and provided with polishing material conforming to and spaced from the surfaces of the said cylinders, whereby sinuous polishing-surfaces are formed both in a horizontal direction, and in a vertical direction from the top to the bottom ofthe machine, as set forth.

2. A. machine of the character described, comprising a framework; a vertical shaft mounted in said framework; a plurality of cylinders mounted on said shaft and of different diameters and arranged alternately, the said cylinders having on their peripheries polishing-surfaces sinuous in a horizontal direction; and a plurality of vertical strips, 6, surrounding said cylinders and provided on their inner edges with polishing-surfaces sinuous in a horizontal direction and conforming to and spaced from the said cylinders, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ROSIA W. TVELCH.

Witnesses:

FREDERICK S. STI'r'r, GHARLEs L. VIE'rscH. 

